Just north of the Champs-Élysées on a rounded street corner sits a stone facade building that blends into the classic Parisian scenery and stands out just enough with its contemporary curved-glass windows and leafy balconies. There’s no doubt it’s distinctly French, yet with just a touch of modern whimsy to feel like home — and that’s exactly the idea behind one of the capital’s newest hotels, Hôtel Norman.
“The style imagined for the Norman is a warm and cosy tribute to graphic arts, making it a boutique property with a more contemporary feel,” Nicolas Egloff, the hotel’s director of sales, marketing, and communication, told Travel + Leisure. “Norman becomes a place where guests from far away and locals meet, but in a much more intimate setting than in larger properties.”
Making its debut this month, the property located about 0.3 miles (0.4 km) from the Arc de Triomphe on Rue Balzac has 29 rooms and eight suites. It marks the fourth and latest in hotelier Olivier Bertrand’s collection, which also includes the 48-key Relais Christine set in a former home in Saint-Germain-des-Prés; 50-key Saint James Paris and the adjacent four-apartment Villa Saint James; and 37-room Château des Fleurs, which opened last year.
All about Hôtel Norman which made its debut near Champs Élysées
Like his other properties, Hôtel Norman aims for an intimate cosy feel, while providing thoughtful luxury details. That starts the moment guests step through the rotunda doors and pass through velvet curtains to find a library lounge instead of a reception desk. Vintage sofas are surrounded by a playfully eclectic mix of antique shop finds, 1950s furniture, 1970s art, and even a touch of Brazilian design.
That welcome is indicative of French architect Thomas Vidalenc’s style, offering an unexpected vibe with a vibrantly colourful ode to the 1950s and 1960s graphic art of American modernism artist Norman Ives and his Bauhaus movement influences.
“The Norman’s style offers a very personal ambience, far removed from artificial Parisian codes, that of a visitor who rejects standardised settings,” Vidalenc said in a release shared with T+L, adding that it’s geared towards those who seek “to experience Paris like a local, in a hotel reflecting its culture, giving the destination an additional source of interest.”
That style extends into the rooms, with rosewood bed headboards juxtaposing with wool curtains and leather details atop geometric carpets on parquet floors. The bathrooms are decked with in mosaic tiles with marble sinks on rosewood, glass, and steel vanities.
Egloff said what makes the rooms stand out are its extremely large windows to bring in the natural lights and surroundings, while still offering a peaceful reprieve from city life. Most of the junior suites and suites also have their own balconies.
His personal favourites are the two top-floor suites, the two-story Sky Suite with a stunning view of the sunrise over Paris, and the Terrace Suite, which has a rooftop terrace. Both also have Eiffel Tower views from their balconies.
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The in-house restaurant Thiou comes from Apiradee Thirakomen, better known as Chef Thiou, who brings flavours from her native Thailand infusing them with French cuisine. Highlights of her menu include crispy soft-shell crab and her iconic tigre qui pleure (crying tiger) spicy beef dish. Also on site is a bar, while a sports club and spa by Omnisens will open next month.
“Norman offers a unique experience, but it is nevertheless very Parisian,” Egloff said, noting that there was mindfulness taken to use as many local products as possible, like from famed establishments like Angelina or Maison Plisson. “When you are at the Norman and look around, you are unmistakably in Paris, but above all we want our guests to feel at home.”
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(Feature Image Credit: MR.TRIPPER/Norman Paris)
This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com
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